Coffee beans, soap scum, cooking grease, hair and food particles can travel down the kitchen sink and cause blocked drains in no time. One of the simplest ways to prevent your kitchen sink drain from clogging is to be cautious about what goes into it –– after all, prevention is better than cure. Do as much as possible to prevent these items from going into your kitchen drain by following these actionable steps.
Install a Sink Strainer Over the Sink Hole
Install a sink strainer or screen over the kitchen sinkhole to minimise the amount of rubbish that goes through. The sink strainer will prevent food particles, hair, soap scum and coffee beans from going through the drain. You can then dispose of these items in the trash, once they have collected on the sink strainer. Sink strainers are easily available at local hardware or home improvement stores, but be sure of the specific size you need for your sink. If you have a standard sinkhole, a regular sink strainer will simply need to be laid in place.
Run Scalding Hot Water Down the Sink Every Time
After each use, be sure to run scalding water down the kitchen sink to prevent blocked drains. Hot water ensures that oil from food keeps flowing down the kitchen drain, instead of building up on the pipe surfaces, which will ultimately lead to clogs and sluggish drain performance. Running hot water will keep your drains running freely as much as possible –– but you must take care to prevent excess grease from going through your drain. Before washing a dish, save the cooking grease in an old container and get rid of it in the trash, rather than the drain.
Use Baking Soda and Vinegar Regularly
While you don't have to do it after every use, you can toss some baking soda followed by hot water down the drain every once in awhile. Baking soda is good for loosening dirt and grime on surfaces and reducing food odours. After this, you can pour some vinegar and let it sit in the drain for at least half an hour. The acetic acidic properties of vinegar will cut through all types of grease and grime deposits in the drainpipes. Follow this effort with more hot water to prevent blocked drains.
Blocked drains are incredibly stressful to deal with. Follow these preventive steps to ensure that your kitchen sink drain runs as smoothly as possible. If blocked drains continue to be a problem despite all these measures, you may need to call a professional plumber.
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